Snowfall

While the BWI snowfall was 0.4 inches, the National Weather Service spotters around the region found up to 2.6 inches. The 2.6 inches was measured by a spotter in Parkton. Other totals include 1.2 in Pimlico, 1.8 in Perry Hall and 1.4 in Savage. See more spotter totals here.

A winter forecast map that is going viral and suggests above-normal snowfall for most of the country -- and "well above-normal" snow for the mid-Atlantic and New England -- comes from a satire website. The story has been shared widely across social media, carrying the headline "Meteorologists Predict Record-Shattering Snowfall Coming Soon. " The accompanying map forecasts an unusually snowy winter for about two-thirds of the country, and a corridor of even heavier snow from Virginia to Maine.

Maryland Weather blog readers predicted a wide range of potential snowfall this winter in Baltimore, but on average, did not stray far from history. On average, readers are predicting 20.4 inches of snowfall in our annual forecasting contest , slightly above the average of 20 inches. Guesses ranged from a light 6.9 inches -- still 5 inches more than last winter's paltry 1.8 inches -- to 37 inches. The median guess was 20 inches, meaning readers are evenly divided in expecting an above- or below-average season.

By Luke Broadwater and Colin Campbell, The Baltimore Sun | March 30, 2014

The day before Opening Day in Baltimore looked anything but spring-like. Chilly rain gave way to a wintry mix and later some unexpected snow in northern areas of Maryland. Residents reported light snow and sleet in Northern Baltimore, Carroll and Howard counties. The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory through midnight for northern parts of Baltimore County after steady rain and snow across the region Sunday. Minor flooding forecast in some rivers and streams in the parts of southern Baltimore County, northern Anne Arundel and eastern Howard was expected to subside by Monday morning.

After a series of busted snow forecasts last winter, the National Weather Service's Baltimore/Washington forecast office is adjusting its forecasts in the months ahead to better communicate snowfall uncertainty. Efforts to do so began last year when the forecasters released maps showing bands where various accumulations are likely -- say, an inch or less south of Baltimore, 2-4 inches for the city, and 4-6 inches for the northern and western suburbs. On top of that, forecasters will provide a storm's overall minimum and maximum snowfall potential (i.e., a bust or a blowout)

One month into this meteorological winter, 1.4 inches of snow had fallen in Baltimore, but there is little certainty of more in sight. What do the record books say about what could happen next? In eight years whose snowfall through December was within a quarter inch of what Baltimore has seen so far this year, the seasonal total topped the average 18-20 inches three times: 34 inches in 1959-1960, 24 inches in 1992-1993, and 34 inches in 1923-1924. For the rest, snowfall was between 9 inches and 14 inches.

A relatively weak system dusted the region with snow Friday afternoon, prompting schools, courts and libraries to close early and slowing the evening commute. The anticipation of a treacherous afternoon rush hour had many starting their weekends early. Baltimore, Carroll, Harford and Howard county schools all dismissed early. The Enoch Pratt Free Library closed all branches at 2:45 p.m. The closings got rush-hour traffic started around 1:30 p.m., State Highway Administration spokesman David Buck said.

Depending on how you look at it, snowfall this winter was either a disappointment or an improvement in Baltimore. The seasonal tally of 8 inches through Monday at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport ranks as the 16th least snowy season on record for Baltimore. It was more than four times as much snow as the winter before, but also the second-smallest season snowfall total in more than a decade. After the winter of 2009-2010 -- that of "Snowmageddon", "Snowverkill" or whatever else you want to call it -- everything else pales in comparison.

1:51 p.m.: The National Weather Service has now canceled the winter weather advisory about four hours early. Light snow and flurries are possible, but no additional accumulation is expected, according to the advisory. Drivers should still take caution on bridges and overpasses, which could remain slushy, the advisory cautions. The latest snowfall totals reported to the weather service include 5 inches near Pimlico, in Catonsville and near Westminster. Spotters reported 5.4 inches near Columbia and 5.2 inches near Garrison.

A snowy pattern over the past couple of weeks has seasonal accumulations to date running more than 2 feet ahead of normal for parts of the Northeast, and nearly 10 inches ahead of normal in Baltimore. According to the National Weather Service, perennially snowy Erie, Pa., is 34 inches ahead of where it would normally be with snowfall this time of the year, with nearly 111 inches. Cities that are at least 2 feet above normal include: Worcester, Mass.; Youngstown, Ohio; Portland, Maine; Allentown, Pa.; Newark, N.J.; New York; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; Columbus; and Wilmington, Del. Philadelphia is nearly 40 inches ahead of normal, with 55.4 inches as of Sunday, compared with a norm of 15.7 inches by that date.

Snow was tapering off by late morning in Baltimore and points north and west, expected to end with 3-6 inches of accumulation around the region. A blast of cold air was meanwhile moving in behind the storm. Snowfall totals included 5.5 inches in Westminster, 5 inches in Owings Mills and Hunt Valley, 4.7 inches near Perry Hall and 4 inches near Columbia and in Northeast Baltimore's Hamilton neighborhood, according to the National Weather Service. Ice accumulated to as much as a tenth of an inch around the region overnight before precipitation turned to snow, according to the weather service.

A winter weather advisory is in effect from 1 a.m. to noon Wednesday with about 1-3 inches of snow forecast, possibly making for a slick morning commute, the National Weather Service said. Snow was forecast to start by 4 a.m., continuing until about noon. With temperatures forecast in the mid- to upper-20s overnight and into Wednesday morning, precipitation was expected to be entirely snow. The snow was expected on top of light accumulations reported across the region Tuesday, with up to an inch reported in parts of the Baltimore area and heavier amounts to the southwest in Northern Virginia.

Two days after the region surged into the 60s, a light snow could arrive Tuesday and again on Wednesday, but accumulations were expected to be light. Less than an inch of snow was expected both days as a light snow blankets much of the Northeast, according to the National Weather Service. Weather service forecasters said they expect a chance of light snow around midday Tuesday, and then another early Wednesday morning. AccuWeather.com is calling for 1-3 inches from Virginia to Maine from Tuesday night through Wednesday night.

A snowy pattern over the past couple of weeks has seasonal accumulations to date running more than 2 feet ahead of normal for parts of the Northeast, and nearly 10 inches ahead of normal in Baltimore. According to the National Weather Service, perennially snowy Erie, Pa., is 34 inches ahead of where it would normally be with snowfall this time of the year, with nearly 111 inches. Cities that are at least 2 feet above normal include: Worcester, Mass.; Youngstown, Ohio; Portland, Maine; Allentown, Pa.; Newark, N.J.; New York; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; Columbus; and Wilmington, Del. Philadelphia is nearly 40 inches ahead of normal, with 55.4 inches as of Sunday, compared with a norm of 15.7 inches by that date.

A few more inches of snow were forecast to accumulate by midday Saturday, further straining government snow-removal budgets and setting back efforts to clean up from the region's heaviest snowfall in four years. The forecast portends a third winter pelting of the region in a few days' time, and it was met Friday with frustration. Residents said they were tired of digging out more than once, after Thursday's successive snowfalls. The cleanup was a daunting task for many, like Stu Haley and his neighbors on Gittings Avenue in North Baltimore's Cedarcroft neighborhood.

The biggest snowfall in four years blanketed the Baltimore area Thursday with up to a foot and a half of snow, giving many schoolchildren two more days off and stranding residents and travelers. As the region dug out, two men died after shoveling. In Howard County, two men suffered suspected heart attacks as they shoveled, prompting local officials to urge residents to take it easy clearing snow made heavy by periods of rain. Many flights were canceled and many roads were impassable for part of the day. At least five people in Anne Arundel County were taken to hospitals, including two to Maryland Shock Trauma Center, after traffic accidents.

The forecasts say 4 inches of snow are expected, but be prepared for a blizzard -- Jim Cantore is coming. The Weather Channel meteorologist, whose Twitter bio says he is "[a]lways awaiting mother natures latest temper tantrum", plans to do morning live shots from Baltimore, he said on the microblogging website Monday afternoon. Cantore is known for coming to town any time extreme weather strikes. Of course, mayhem doesn't always follow Cantore. He reported from Washington, D.C., last March when the capital city, as well as Baltimore, were forecast to get hit with a snowstorm dubbed by many the "Snowquester".

Meteorologist Rich Hitchens was monitoring a winter storm headed for Baltimore on three computer screens last night. "It's on its way," he said of a warm-air system from the Gulf of Mexico on a collision course with the cold air over the Mid-Atlantic region. The storm could bolster this month's snow total significantly. It is expected to blanket Central Maryland with 6 to 10 inches of snow before midnight, when it would push north, Hitchens said from the National Weather Service office in Sterling, Va. Forecasters declared a heavy snow warning for 24 hours starting at 1 a.m. today but said the bulk of the snow would fall between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. The new snow was unlikely to set records, but even a little would push Baltimore over the average of 6.4 inches for February snowfall.

Snowfall forecast for the Baltimore area this weekend is expected to be light, but forecasters are meanwhile eyeing storm chances ahead next week. The National Weather Service forecasts a 60 percent chance of snow Saturday afternoon, with accumulations of less than an inch around the region, and then 40 percent chances of snow with only slight accumulations possible on Sunday. Light snow is also possible overnight Sunday into the Monday morning commute. All are expected to be quickly passing systems bringing a dusting or little more.

The first week of 2014 could bring an inch or more of snow to Baltimore, according to a National Weather Service forecast. Rain on Thursday is expected to turn into snow before midnight, the forecast predicts, with a 60 percent chance of more than an inch accumulation across the area. The fast-moving storm, made up of low-pressure systems from Northern Mexico and Canada, will most likely dust the region as it moves out to sea, said Dan Hoffman, a meteorologist based in the weather service's Sterling, Va., office.